Happily Ever After...
by Jing Mei Chen
Summary: Secret Santas, mistletoe, and a children's pop up book


The noise around her dulled as Deb ripped inot her small present  
  
She bit her lip  
  
The secret santa gift exchange never went well. You never ever picked the perfect match  
  
She crumbled the paper and put it on the admit desk.It was a book. Deb held the children's book  
in her hands.  
  
"Beauty and the Beast" the voice behind her said quietly."It's a pop-up"  
Deb smiled to herself.She spun around,preparing to wrap her arms around him."John?"  
  
"He's waiting on the roof" Haleh called to her over the loud music  
  
Deb's cheeks burned  
****************************  
She pushed the door open, drowning out the downstairs music.  
  
"You liked it?"  
  
Deb nodded,"I was beginning to think LUka had a complex or something"   
  
Carter laughed."I heard you traded with him,Gave him Abby for me"  
  
Deb nodded,sheepishly biting her lip as Carter lifted the giant coffee mug she had had filled with  
coffee beans for him."I..."  
  
He shook his head."I needed a new mug slash soup bowl"  
  
"JOHN!"  
  
"I said thank you" his smile was so wide his eyes crinkled  
  
Deb raised an eyebrow,"You actually said..."  
  
  
"Thank you Deb"  
  
: "That's better" she stood next to him,her head on his shoulder  
  
"Anytime" Carter leaned over and kissed the top of her head."Deb?"  
  
She opened one eye,"Hmmm?"  
  
"I know you told Luka why you liked the fairytale,but tell me"  
  
Deb blushed  
  
"Well?"  
  
She hit his shoulder."I'm getting around to it"  
  
"I'm sure Abby would love to know..."  
  
"John!"  
  
Carter raised an eyebrow  
  
"Right,Why Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale" Deb reached under her coat and  
pulled out the book."See her?" she pointed to Belle  
  
Looking over her s houlder, Carter held his breath."Yeah.."  
  
"She's been sheltered her whole life. When she finally leaves" Deb flipped the book to a pop up  
of the dark castle,"she's thrown into all this ugliness.A sort of dark beauty"  
  
carter nodded  
  
"Amongst all that..."  
  
His mind wandered,barely paying attenion  
  
"Carter!" Benton yelled,"This is Deb Chen.Show her around..make her at home here"  
  
"there's him, he didn't start out ugly, a beast, but he is then, and everyone is having a hard time  
with him,because he hates being 'ugly'" Deb ranted."and they all hate him for making them  
ugly.Until Belle comes"  
  
"beauty?"  
  
Deb nodded,"Did you read the book before you bought it,John?"  
  
"well..."  
  
  
She smiled softly."Belle or Beauty makes the castle beautiful, and slowly.." Deb opened the  
book to the last page where Belle was dancing with the prince, after he had been transformed  
from the Beast, in a lacy wedding dress  
  
"Falls in love with the Beast" they both said quietly  
  
Carter pulled away slowly  
  
Deb let out her breath in a long sigh."But I'm just a hopeless romantic"  
  
"We should go in" he said quietly  
*****************************  
Deb pushed into exam 2, winded from the stairs then stopped.  
  
.."And then coach said it was a foul!" the little boy on the exam table cried, kicking his arms  
widely in the air."ow!"  
  
"Jake" Carter jumped up from the stool  
  
"I forgot about my arm" the little boy giggled.  
  
Carter chuckled,running a hand through his hair."Let me go check on ortho"  
  
"On their way down" Deb replied,"They just called"  
  
"I'll be right back Jake" Carter grabbed Deb's wrist,pulling her out of the room  
  
Deb looked up at the ceiling then down at Carter,biting her lip  
  
"They called?"  
  
Deb nodded  
  
"You answered?"  
  
She nodded  
  
"And didn't page me?"  
  
Deb shrugged,"I.."  
  
"Hey Carter!! Look up!" Dave called,from the party going on around the admit desk  
  
His eyes darted up,then at Deb,cheeks burning  
  
"Don't worry about it" Deb said softly  
  
Carter shook his head."It's tradition.If you're under the mistletoe.."  
  
She grabbed his arm and swung him around,facing their backs towards the coward."They're  
watching"  
  
He laughed  
  
Deb stood up on her tip toes to kiss his cheek  
  
Carter turned his body towards her,catching her lips with his  
  
Slowly she wrapped her arms around his neck to the applause of their co workers  
  
"Finally!" Haleh called  
  
Deb blushed,nestling her face in his chest  
  
Carter laughed."Merry Christmas Deb" 


End file.
